Embodiments of the invention relate generally to dynamoelectric machines and, more particularly, to bore connectors for dynamoelectric machines.
Rotors of dynamoelectric machines typically comprise relatively large diameter cylindrical bodies containing field windings. These field windings produce magnetic flux which in turn produces current and voltage. Electrical connections are made between the field windings and a bore connector, a conductive material within a relatively small diameter of the rotor. Copper is often the conductive material employed in bore connectors, which are therefore often referred to as “bore coppers.”
To date, the primary method of restraining bore connectors within a rotor bore is to reduce clearance between the bore connectors, which are typically comprised of hemispherically-divided halves of an elongate conductive rod, by custom fitting insulating strips between the bore connector halves. FIG. 1 shows a view of such device 1, which includes a rotor 2 having a central bore 3 along its longitudinal axis. A bore connector 4, comprising two connector bodies 10, 20 are disposed within central bore 3. A rigid separator 30 or insulating strip is disposed between connector bodies 10, 20, forcing the arcuate outer surfaces 12, 22 of each connector body 10, 20, respectively, against the wall of central bore 3. However, this can be both time consuming and relatively ineffective, as the bore connectors, in use, often require a greater degree of restraint during operation than can be achieved using insulating strips.
Other methods of restraining bore connectors within the rotor bore include wrapping the bore connectors with an insulator, which is then milled such that its outer diameter matches an inner diameter of the rotor bore. This is not only labor intensive and time consuming, but also makes it difficult to insert the bore connectors into the rotor bore. What is more, such methods necessarily guarantee that the degree of restraint cannot be increased after the bore connectors are installed within the rotor bore.